Gaming News

September 22 marks the day that Xbox Series X preorders went live. It also marks the day that Xbox One X sales saw a dramatic increase. Coincidence? Maybe, or it could all be a hilariously unfortunate misunderstanding.  A post from Andrew Alerts has gone viral on Twitter, an industry insider with a specialty tracking seller trends and founder of Nintendeal. In his tweet, he cited a drastic spike in Amazon Xbox One X system sales with the associated tagline asking "how many people bought an Xbox One X instead of an Xbox Series X." Microsoft got themselves in a weird spot with the Xbox naming situation Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox One X Then what do you do? You can't go Xbox 2/Two because Sony has PlayStation 5 and 2 is less than 5. That matters a lot when non-gamer parents are buying consoles for kids. — Andrew Alerts (@AndrewAlerts) September 22, 2020 The system names are undeniably similar and there are a few possible reasons for why this sales spike happened. The first reason could be a simple error in the two names. A lot of parents were attempting to buy these consoles for their kids, a lot of frantic quick-buys also happened to beat that taunting "sold out" message, or it could simply be that a lot of people want the next best thing before next gen arrives.  We don't know know for certain what the reason behind the recent sales increase is, but a 747 percent markup doesn't seem like a simple coincidence being on the same day as next gen preorders. Still, if people mistakingly purchased the Xbox One X over the Series X due to the similar names, there are going to be quite a few upset people over the next week or so.  One thing we do know is that the theory that people purchased the One X thinking it was the Series X is the biggest social media take right now, speculation that has produced some pretty hilarious reactions over in the Twittersphere:  People buying xbox one X right now. pic.twitter.com/G61epVQf7e — Agustorm (@Agustorm2) September 22, 2020 PlayStation, PS 2, 3, 4, 5. Boring as hell, but it works. Xbox and Xbox 360, ok, but now they are confusing as hell... they need to go full Nintendo and start giving the Xbox real names. Xbox Gamebox, Xbox Ultimate, Xbox Infinite, Xbox 4000, Xbox Meat, Xbox Rig, Xbox Tower, etc. — Abba (@Adam_B888) September 22, 2020 You made me double check. pic.twitter.com/BrWu1VtCOb — Berdo (@BerdoRules) September 22, 2020 Another possibility too revolves around bots. Bots purchasing up hot demand items are frustratingly common and often used by those that intend to resale supply at a much higher price. It's possible that bots may have gotten the code confused, a point that was made in response to journalist Patrick Klepek's recent tweet about the sales increase. It's important to keep in mind that next gen arrivals always boost current gen sales, oftentimes because of heavy discounts or simply the desire to 'get in on the hype' at a lower price point. Whether the spike is sales is a happy coincidence or a mistake remains to be seen, but we wouldn't be surprised to see if a large chunk of that number ended up being due to the latter.  What do you think, Game Informer readers? A Bob Ross style "happy mistake" or massive coindence that the internet is blowing out of proportion? Sound off in the comment section below and hit us with those hot takes! 

A massive report began circulating yesterday regarding an alleged Call of Duty hack that left over 500,000 Activision accounts exposed. Activision responded initially saying how people can protect their account if they are worried, but they are saying the initial reports were "not accurate." Activision took to Twitter to address player concerns over account vulnerabilities. "Reports suggesting Activision Call of Duty accounts have been compromised are not accurate," reads the publicly posted statement. "We investigate all privacy concerns. As always, we recommend that players take precautions to protect their Activision accounts, as well as any online accounts, at all times." It continued saying that any changes or updates made to accounts would be reflected in a confirming email. For anyone that may have received an email of change with no changes actually made, it is recommended to make the appropriate changes to established account information, including a change of password.  We here at Game Informer saw the reports yesterday and did not receive word back from Activision before the company's statement went live. It was because of that, and the missing trail of proof, that we opted not to cover this story when it first went viral. Now with official acknowledgment from Activision, players can make the appropriate steps needed moving forward.  If you found that your account has been tampered with, please feel free to drop a comment in the section below and don't forget to change your information ASAP if you haven't already.  [Source: Twitter]

As reported by GameSpot, Arkane Studios is looking for new personnel to work on an unannounced game. The list of the various roles range from tools programmer to graphics engineer. The acclaimed developers behind Prey, Dishonored, and Deathloop were recently acquired by Microsoft in a massive business move that could potentially provide Xbox's next-gen gamers with a plethora of rpg experiences. While we all wait for more news about this mysterious AAA project, be sure to check out our Answers To Deathloop's Biggest Questions.  [Source: GameSpot]

Click to watch embedded media A new Destiny 2 trailer is here ahead of the Beyond Light expansion dropping this November. The latest look at the Bungie shooter gives us new insight into Europa while also reminding us how much of a little punk Variks is.  For those that didn't play the first Destiny, Variks is a Fallen Vandal that was the sole survivor of the House of Judgement. He's got an interesting history, but his loyalty to Queen Mara Sov was unshakable. That being said, he was responsible for the prison break in Destiny 2: Forsaken, which ended up getting my homie Cayde-6 killed so to say I have a lot of salt over him is a massive understatement.  The now leader of the House of Judgement acts as one of the narrators for the latest video, seen at the top of the article. The video also puts Exo Stranger back front and center, a returning favorite from the first game that was confirmed with the reveal trailer for the upcoming expansion.  Between the new Stasis power and a new area to explore, Beyond Light is going to continue Destiny 2's winning streak in terms of DLC, a streak that really hit its stride with Forsaken and Shadowkeep.  We'll be able to check out everything Destiny 2: Beyond Light has to offer when it drops on November 10th. 

Click here to watch embedded media Eric Barone (a.k.a. ConcernedApe), the creator of Stardew Valley, can be seen playing the theme of the Moonlight Jelly festival in a YouTube video that he uploaded earlier today. It's interesting to hear the song on an acoustic guitar, especially since the in-game version combines the ambient sounds of a number of instruments (including what sounds like a piano or xylophone?).  Earlier this month, we talked to Barone about his approach to Stardew Valley's numerous free updates and how they keep the game alive. Read all about it here. 

Next weekend, the Fortnite battle bus will be added as the final reward in Rocket League's first event since its free-to-play update – Llama-Rama. If you're looking to get that new car body and hot-drop into the soccer arena, you'll have to check off a list of challenges first. The challenges, however, appear to be relatively easy to complete: most of them require players to don certain decals while winning a number of matches. For more clarity, you can find all of these challenges on the Epic Games site here. Check out the trailer for the Llama-Rama event below, then make sure to play next weekend play claim your rewards.  Click here to watch embedded media  

Every September 26 for the past seven years, The Last of Us fans joined Naughty Dog in celebrating an incredible PlayStation experience. This year, however, a key change is being made to the name of this annual celebration in light of COVID-19.  Previously, this date was secured as Outbreak Day given the nature of infection within the game universe itself. With the number of deaths due to COVID-19 on a global scale with many areas still far from the point of containment, the team over at Naughty Dog wanted to make a change out of respect.  No longer called Outbreak Day, every September 26 from here on out will be called The Last of Us Day. Short, sweet, to the point. No confusion on the game being celebrated, no correlation to real-life events that are still currently in progress.  Naughty Dog took to Twitter to relay the change, saying that due to the nature of this year's events and the ongoing issues surrounding COVID-19, that they "didn't feel right continuing on under the Outbreak Day banner."  The company added, "While the name and the date are rooted in the fiction of the game, September 26 means so much more than lore. It's about showing our appreciation to our fans."  Previous years celebrating the Last of Us franchise included sales on merch, game discounts, fan tributes, and so much more. This year, Naughty Dog is celebrating the launch of The Last of Us Part II and teases "a lot of exciting things planned and we can't wait to share them with you in just a few days." New DLC? We can dream, Harold.  The Last of Us Part II is available now on PlayStation 4. Thoughts on the name change and their reasoning behind it? Thoughts on the Naughty Dog sequel? Shout them out loud and proud in the comment section below! [Source: Twitter]

The next season of Call of Duty is slated to arrive on September 29. That's next Tuesday! Details on activities, modes, changes and the like are still under wraps, but we do know that both Nikolai and Farah are becoming Operators via the Season 6 Battle Pass. As has become the standard, seasonal changes will happen both in traditional multiplayer and Call of Duty: Warzone. Get a taste of the upcoming action below in a new trailer showcasing the upcoming characters! Click here to watch embedded media  

Gamers have often done some pretty incredible things in order to raise money for charity and the latest endeavor features a "super rare" white  AVICII Invector Nintendo Switch Lite! The latest gaming-driven initiative is aiming to support mental health, an aspect of human life that is critical; even more so during these trying times.  Safe In Our World is a charity organization that aims to help raise mental health awareness within the games industry and the world outside of it. This agency has consistently been a strong voice in advocacy for mental health and now it is offering an exclusively designed Nintendo Switch Lite for sale with 100 percent of the proceeds going to supporting their cause.  The Switch system above not only supports mental health awareness, but also celebrates the launch of AVICII Invector on the hybid platform. AVICII Invector is a fast-paced rhythm-action game that allows players to harness their inner musical god. AVICII Invector has been met with outstanding reviews over on Steam, and now it is taking the Nintendo charts by storm as well.  All proceeds from the sale of this Switch will go towards mental health charities. With only five systems available world-wide, this is a limited time-only deal to nab something special while also doing a little good out there in the real world.  With 3,000 tickets available for a chance to win the above system, each raffle ticket coming in just under $6, it's not too late to jump at this chance! To be able to win this exclusive Switch, you can head on over to Tiltify right here to place your bid.  For more about Safe In Our World:  "Back in 2017, a bunch of video game industry people started a conversation about fund-raising for mental health charities. Like every project in the gaming industry, this grew and expanded (plus took forever), but in 2019 the charity Safe in Our World was born. Our mission is to foster positive mental health wellbeing and deliver support not only for players but also developers, publishers, retailers and the other incredible folk and teams who make up the video games industry. Our goal is for the industry to come together and start a conversation that can change lives. We are committed to making a difference. It will take a year to get fully operational and get as much of the global industry as possible on board, but it will happen, and the fact you’re here reading this — not to mention the incredible people we have on board, listed below — is truly incredible. It’s our hope that Safe In Our World will grow into a default destination for gamers and developers grappling with mental health issues to ask for help, access information, and read about real people in the gaming space who have had their own struggles — and how they have dealt with them. You’re never alone, and it’s ok to not be ok all the time!"

When the Halo: The Master Chief Collection made the jump over onto Steam, PC players were ecstatic to have another reason to dive into the Halo universe. Releasing the entire franchise through the Master Chief Collection has been a slow process, but it has been a process well worth it! For those that are fans of Halo 3: ODST, now is your time to shine because that is the latest addition to make its way over onto the Valve platform. Even better than Halo 3: ODST's arrival is the other updates that come from Season 3 of the Master Chief Collection. Season 3 offers over 80 unlocks for the 50 tiers in addition to new weapon and visor skins for Halo 3, characters for ODST, and new nameplates.  A new Challenge deck is also arriving for new weekly challenges as well as more tweaks to matchmaking with the following modes:  Recon Slayer (you’ll spawn with the Silenced SMG and the Automag, weapons on the map are replaced with their ODST counterpart where applicable) ODST Heroic Firefight ODST Firefight Arcade Click here to watch embedded media With Halo 3: ODST's arrival also comes with a few updates for this particular experience as well, including:  Matchmaking updates and support for dedicated servers The ability to customize and save your own Firefight game variants The Halo 3 Battle Rifle and ODST’s Assault Rifle being available for use Oh, and the Hornet and Anti-Air Wraith are available in Firefight too!  It's time to drop in and do some damage, because Halo 3: ODST is now available on Steam. It is also available on the Microsoft Store and as part of the Xbox Game Pass on PC. Happy hunting!  [Source: Halo Waypoint]

By now, you've likely heard that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda alongside other ZeniMax properties. Moreso, Microsoft has confirmed that they will honor exclusivity deals with PlayStation for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire. That being said, it looks like Sony was in talks with Bethsesda for exclusive rights to their upcoming IP Starfield before the acquisition was finalized, at least according to recent reports.  The latest report about one of the alternate timelines for Starfield comes from esteemed journalist and industry insider Imran Khan. According to a recent Twitter post from Khan, "The timing on this announcement is absolutely fascinating. The week after Sony solidifies their existing exclusivity with some Bethesda games but the day before Xbox opens up preorders." The timing was genius, there is no denying that, but apparently the 7.5 billion dollar deal has an even greater impact than we originally thought. Khan followed up to his initial tweet saying that Sony was reportedly looking into a special deal with Bethesda's sci-fi new IP. "Sony had been negotiating timed exclusivity on Starfield as recently as a few months ago," he said. "Going to guess either those talks are done or the price suddenly went way, way up."  In our previous coverage we talked about how Xboss Phil Spencer talked about honoring the previous Sony deals for two of Bethesda's games, Ghostwire and Deathloop, and that all remaining games from that point on would be on a "case by case basis."  As a personal speculation note, I would imagine that Microsoft would look to capitalize on the massive fanbase that's attached to the PlayStation brand who happen to also be huge Fallout and Skyrim fans as well. Instead of going full-on Xbox/PC exclusive for those mainstay franchise, it's possible that Microsoft will allow those particular series to be multiplatform with timed-exclusivity at most. New IPs like Starfield, however, are new communities, and could withstand an exclusive move.  We'll be learning more about what this acquisition means for Bethesda games both new and old, but for now you can catch up on the latest announcement right here.  [Source: Twitter]

Blizzard has announced their dates for the all digital BlizzCon experience set for February 2021. With this year's celebration cancelled due to the continued presence of COVID-19, the Blizzard-specific convention had to make a stark pivot with many others like it.  According to a recent BlizzCon update, the BlizzConline experience will take place from February 19-20, 2021. This online showcase is meant to replace the 2020 celebration that has been cancelled.  So why such a stark difference from the usual timing for BlizzCon? According to Blizzard, "We still have a lot of planning to do, and it'll be some time before we're ready to share more details – but we wanted to provide a heads-up on how you can be a part of the online fun."  Just like its real-life counterpart, BlizzConline will feature a community showcase that will allow fans to show off their talent and love for the many Blizzard franchises out there. March of the Murlocs also returns digitally where fans can don those Murloc onesies once more and send in a video to Blizzard to participate.  The cosplay exhibition and contests will also be returning with an entry deadline of January 4, 2021. Again, this is all online, but this allows fans to share their amazing cosplays (even for pets!) with Blizzard and the world.  All original submissions will be showcased during the online show. You can learn more on how to participate, and how to enter the cosplay contest as well, right here before it's too late!  The art and digital storytelling contests will also be returning for BlizzConline with the same entry deadline for January 4. Blizzard is working hard to ensure that much of the original BlizzCon experience can be felt despite the massive change in how the show operates.  One thing that makes BlizzCon so special is the community. There is unabashed love through stories and cosplay, all for the various adventures Blizzard has to offer with World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and so much more. So save the date, because BlizzConline arrives on February 19, 2021.  [Source: Blizzard]